MGR/Anonymous « Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive »
Published on 02/02/04 at 15:00I got this from Musiciandfriend after checking out some sound clips on the Voodoo Lab website. It was $129 which I think is a bit pricey for a pedal but it's all analog and made in the U.S.A so it's no piece of crap.
As I already said it's analog & U.S. made. The clean knob puts the original signal back in with the overdriven signal in varying amounts. This adds a nice bottom end to the overdrive & overall thicker sound. Pure clean signal when maxed. The in/out jacks are on the top instead of the sides which allows multiple Voodoo Lab pedals to sit side by side which to me looks alot neater on the floor. I hear it sounds very much like the original Tube Screamer but I've never had the privilidge of hearing one of those. I think the sound of this pedal is awesome & works well for blues/rock.
I dont like that the only way to change the battery is to take the entire bottom off of it. I cant see whats so hard about Voodoo Lab making it with a battery cover/door.
The housing is very sturdy but the switch is PC board mounted. I've heard that this can become a problem although I've not experienced any trouble with mine.
I've played this through solid state and a few different tube amps. It enhances the natural tube breakup when the amp is cranked, while through a solid state amp it creates a layering effect of clean and overdriven sounds combined. I personally like it alot more through a cranked tube amp but that's just me ;>D Overall a good pedal for a classic overdrive type of tone. The 4 rating is only because I feel it's a bit expensive, otherwise 5.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
As I already said it's analog & U.S. made. The clean knob puts the original signal back in with the overdriven signal in varying amounts. This adds a nice bottom end to the overdrive & overall thicker sound. Pure clean signal when maxed. The in/out jacks are on the top instead of the sides which allows multiple Voodoo Lab pedals to sit side by side which to me looks alot neater on the floor. I hear it sounds very much like the original Tube Screamer but I've never had the privilidge of hearing one of those. I think the sound of this pedal is awesome & works well for blues/rock.
I dont like that the only way to change the battery is to take the entire bottom off of it. I cant see whats so hard about Voodoo Lab making it with a battery cover/door.
The housing is very sturdy but the switch is PC board mounted. I've heard that this can become a problem although I've not experienced any trouble with mine.
I've played this through solid state and a few different tube amps. It enhances the natural tube breakup when the amp is cranked, while through a solid state amp it creates a layering effect of clean and overdriven sounds combined. I personally like it alot more through a cranked tube amp but that's just me ;>D Overall a good pedal for a classic overdrive type of tone. The 4 rating is only because I feel it's a bit expensive, otherwise 5.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com